Free Price Quote

Change the values below to adjust your monthly payment. All default values are based upon national averages.

Monthly Payment

$

Fair Market Price $

what is this?

Sales Tax %

Title & Registration $

what is this?

Trade-In-Value $

Down Payment $

Market Finance Rate %

what is this?

Money Factor %

what is this?

Term (months)

save this paymentcancel without saving

Change Vehicle

Research Now

Professional Ratings

The Good

Sexier exterior

Hybrid engine option, turbocharged engine option

Aggressively priced

The Bad

So-so dynamics don't match sporty looks

Interior feels cramped

Big pool of rivals

Overall Rating

Not yet rated

2014 kia optima Reviews and News

2014 Kia Optima

By
Christopher Nelson
- 09/30/2013

New For 2014

The 2014 Kia Optima receives a mild refresh that includes redesigned front and rear ends. The instrument cluster and the aluminum wheels are redesigned, too.

Vehicle Summary

The Optima is Kia's best-selling vehicle, but it doesn't sell nearly as well as its competition. That's because it competes with cars like the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry. Rivalries among mid-size sedans are fierce, and well-established family sedans edge out newcomers like the Optima. Kia's not very worried, though. There will always be buyers in the market for a mid-size sedan, and the automaker has one of the most attractive mid-sizers available. It's even prettier for 2014, thanks to redesigned front and rear fascias. It's a bold and stylish sedan in a segment full of milquetoast four-doors, but it stands out only because of its styling. The well-established family sedans are polished, and the 2014 Kia Optima needs a bit more of that before it can nip at the heels of Honda's and Toyota's cars.

Overview

With bold, sharp lines, the 2014 Kia Optima looks almost as sporty as the Mazda 6. Unfortunately for Kia, the Mazda 6 is actually sporty. To squeeze any sportiness from the 2014 Kia Optima, you need to opt for an SX or SX-T model, which get turbocharged engines. If fuel economy matters more to you than sportiness does, opt for the hybrid, which is rated at 36 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. If you want the most basic powertrain possible, that's the 2.4-liter in-line four-cylinder engine in the Optima LX and EX. The LX starts at about $22,000, but Kia's volume leader is the Optima EX, which starts around $25,000. The EX comes well equipped at that price, with standard features including seventeen-inch aluminum wheels, push-button ignition, Bluetooth, illuminated front cupholders, dual-zone automatic climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a six-speaker audio system, and leather-trimmed seats.

Except for the hybrid, all Optimas benefit from a mild update for the 2014 model year. Most of the changes are visual: redesigned LED positioning lights, redone aluminum wheels, new seat designs, and reworked front and rear fascias. There's now a 4.3-inch thin-film-transistor LCD instrument cluster that comes standard. Some Optimas can be optioned with a navigation system, an eight-speaker Infinity audio system, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a new blind-spot monitoring system, which includes rear cross-path detection and rear parking sensors.

With this year's update, the Kia Optima is more stylish than ever and continues to be one of the best-looking mid-size sedans on the market.

You'll like:

Sexier exterior

Hybrid engine option, turbocharged engine option

Aggressively priced

You won't like:

So-so dynamics don't match sporty looks

Interior feels cramped

Big pool of rivals

Key Competitors

Ford Fusion

Honda Accord

Nissan Altima

Toyota Camry

Facelifted 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid Debuts at 2014 Chicago Auto Show

By
Eric Weiner
- 02/06/2014

Following the arrival of the sportier, restyled 2014 Kia Optima late last fall, the Korean automaker revealed its refreshed 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid at the 2014 Chicago auto show. The mid-size hybrid gets its own updated appearance package for 2014, with a focus on improved aerodynamics and lighting features.

Las Vegas -- We've always found that the Kia Optima excelled more in the looks department than in terms of driving dynamics, so it's a shame that the refresh for the 2014 model year focuses almost exclusively on design. Nonetheless, the updated Optima remains an appealing midsize sedan that's high on both style and -- when fitted with the turbo engine -- power.

The Kia Optima was already one of the more stylish midsize sedans, but for 2014 the car gets a slight refresh to keep up with the rapidly evolving family sedan class. The 2014 Kia Optima now carries a base price of $22,300 (including destination) for the LX model with a six-speed automatic transmission, $150 more than the 2013 model, according to a statement from Kia.

Similar Vehicles By MPG Range

Automobile offers a rich and varied examination of the automotive universe in all its forms - delivered by our stable of first-class editors and freelance contributors and illustrated with vibrant photography.